1902, Pablo Picasso, Crouching Beggarwoman -- Phillips Collection (Washington) (special exhibition)
From the special exhibition label: Picasso used many artistic devices to encourage his audience—primarily Catholic Catalans—to experience this crouching beggarwoman as a miracle. The thick Prussian blue contours outlining the figure invite the viewer to establish visual contact. The shadows of her downturned face evoke her pain and suffering. The viewer’s eye then travels to her bright white scarf, which has the appearance of a halo. It is as though she is a Virgin Mary draped in a sacred shawl and robe. The blue that surrounds her seems to expand and engulf the viewer, evoking a religious realm in which this poor woman becomes a figure of devotion.
Link to a high-resolution close-up photo of details from this painting.
1902, Pablo Picasso, Crouching Beggarwoman -- Phillips Collection (Washington) (special exhibition)
From the special exhibition label: Picasso used many artistic devices to encourage his audience—primarily Catholic Catalans—to experience this crouching beggarwoman as a miracle. The thick Prussian blue contours outlining the figure invite the viewer to establish visual contact. The shadows of her downturned face evoke her pain and suffering. The viewer’s eye then travels to her bright white scarf, which has the appearance of a halo. It is as though she is a Virgin Mary draped in a sacred shawl and robe. The blue that surrounds her seems to expand and engulf the viewer, evoking a religious realm in which this poor woman becomes a figure of devotion.
Link to a high-resolution close-up photo of details from this painting.